One morning, at the Foreign Office, young Kikuchi dropped a chance remark that his father had gone to Odawara for a few days. The idea struck Kent that here lay the way out. Fate seemed deliberately9 to have thrown the solution in his way, so he might see her without resorting to slinking contrivances. He looked at his watch. It was half-past eleven; this was Saturday and quite likely she would leave at noon. He hurried to her office. She was evidently about to leave.
"I am sorry. The Viscount has gone to the country." He thought he detected a hint of mischief10 in her eyes. Did she suspect him?
Would he have some tea? She came to his rescue before he had bethought himself of the next step. What a blessing11 that eternal tea-drinking ceremonial[Pg 155] could prove at times. Why, of course, he should like it very much.
So again he found himself in one of the Viscount's great chairs, alone with her. She brought the tray with tea and cigarettes. His success made him bolder. "Have some with me, please do."
It startled her a little. "Why, of course not."
"Why not? It is the custom in foreign countries, and I am a foreigner. Please?"
She smiled at his earnestness and gave in. Presently they were sipping12 tea together. The scene assumed an air of intimacy13. They chatted pleasantly. The light silk shawl about her shoulders gave him a cue. "You're about to go out, are you not. I really shouldn't keep you, but——"
"No, it's all right. It is Saturday, and I was thinking of going to the pictures."
The pictures! So she was another of Japan's millions of movie worshipers who form their ideas of Western civilization from the frenzied14 life of the cinema, Wild West pictures of cowboys rescuing lovely heroines from Indians and bandits, dainty damsels abducted15 in madly racing16 automobiles17, passionate18 love scenes in lavishly19 upholstered abodes20 of plutocracy21, gun-play and murder in city streets—all the wildly gyrating, delirious22 melodrama23 which ingenuous24 Japan seriously believes to be representative of life on the other side of the ocean. The thought of the discomfort25 of most of the Tokyo movie theaters, ramshackle fire-traps crowded with squirming, perspiring26 humanity, stifling27 in the afternoon heat, repelled28 him; still, it would not matter.
"I like the pictures very much too," he lied. "I wish you would let me go with you."
But she shook her head determinedly29. No, a foreigner and a Japanese girl! It was too unusual.
[Pg 156]
"But are you then so old-fashioned?" He noted30 her quick frown. He had gained a little. "Are you then one of these Japanese who, like the old shoguns, want to hold Japan apart from the rest of civilization?" Now he knew he had the right argument.
She flashed at him. "I am not old-fashioned." Her tone softened31 a little. "But, of course, you know it is a little unusual for a Japanese girl and a foreign man to go on the street together."
He sensed that he had won and made no further argument, only rose and waited while she took away the tray. Together they went down the steps.
"And now where?" he asked.
"Why, Uyeno, of course, the art exhibition. I thought you——"
He hastened to cut her short. "Yes, I know. But it is far. Let us have tiffin first. Where? What do you prefer, Japanese or foreign food."
He knew she would prefer the rare experience of a foreign restaurant, as Japanese girls almost invariably do. They went to one of the best in Tokyo, a large, airy place thoroughly32 modern, a hot, wet towel in a small wicker tray, for wiping the face after the meal, being the sole concession33 to Japanese custom. As he sat facing her, he watched appreciatively the dainty grace with which her slim fingers, long practiced in agile34 manipulation of chopsticks, managed easily the unfamiliar35 silver. She was enjoying it, flushed a little, happily. He knew he would gain pleasure from this germinating36 friendship.
He wished to call a taxi, but she restrained him. "No, Uyeno is not so far. We will go by tram."
But why bother about a crowded tram? Taxis were not such a luxury.
"But they are a luxury. Why should we spend[Pg 157] money needlessly when the masses of the people must ride in trams or even walk. It is wrong." Her earnestness amused him. The deep seriousness of her expression lent her a charm as that of a child artlessly philosophizing. What odd surprises they held, the minds of these Japanese girls, ideas shaped from impressions gained God knows where. They compromised on an auto-bus.
The exhibition was crowded. It had always pleased him to note the character of the people who thronged38 such places, art galleries, concerts, theaters, high and low, rich and poor, a great number, in fact, persons to whom even the smallest fee must mean sacrifice of some material need. And here they were, as usual, small merchants, poorly paid artisans, some even fairly close to the coolie type, solemnly, seriously viewing the pictures, saying but little, absorbing, gratifying a natural, spontaneous love of beauty. What would happen to a New York bricklayer should he suggest to his mate that they go to see the Metropolitan39 Art Gallery? The grotesque40 contrast of the idea amused him.
They went through the Japanese art section first. He always enjoyed this part the best, for while he had small technical knowledge of art, he sensed a subtle gratification from the consummate41 perfection which the artists of Nippon had attained42 in this field of their own where century after century of painstakingly44 striving lovers of beauty had succeeded in gradually climbing higher and higher towards fashioning in concrete form the mirages46 of their vision. The eye rested, filled itself with the wealth of delicate beauty of pure, surely drawn47 lines, marvelously blended symphonies of color, almost imperceptible nuances of shade and tint48, a myriad49 of infinitely50 carefully elaborated details which the makers51 contrived52 to weld into perfectly53 [Pg 158]balanced, full-toned consonance. There were the tremendous six-leafed screen paintings, incidents from legend or history of feudal54 Japan, knights55 in armor with long two-handed swords, archers56 with bow and quiver, women in scintillating57 kimono and elaborate coiffure, or, of even more ancient period, in simple flowing robes and with hair falling loose over their shoulders, reminiscent of the art of China, the original inspiration whence Japan had worked out that which was now her glorious own. There were landscapes on screen or scroll58, serrated crag and cliff with gnarled pines overhanging foaming59 stream or glittering waterfall; quaint60 and charming bits of life of old, or still existing but ever disappearing Japan,—dancers in graceful61 postures62, young girls in boats, slender lily hands lying languidly in limpid63 waters, brown old men, sickle64 in hand, garnering65 the rice, each ear of hundreds drawn with veritable botanical accuracy of detail, still retaining the free, swaying grace of nature.
It always cost him an effort to leave this section to enter that devoted66 to art after Western fashion, which was constantly, year after year, encroaching on, elbowing out of the way that fashioned after the ideals of old Japan. A few years ago there had been only a couple of these modern rooms; now those of the old and the new were almost even; soon the latter would predominate entirely. It seemed such a pity; it irritated him, the relentlessness67 of this march of progress? Still, it was in its way more instructive than the other, gave concrete, graphic68 illustration of the ideas and ideals of the young generation, what it was seeking, striving for, more or less uncertainly, but always coming nearer to the goal ever shimmering69 before it, mastery of the modern, the new culture.
They were improving. Every year the exhibitions showed more certain mastery of technique, better grasp[Pg 159] of the spirit of the French art which seemed to be the almost universally accepted school. Kent admitted it to himself grudgingly70; every step in advance in this direction meant defeat of the old. What would it all amount to, after all? Even if, with their amazing facility for copying, for imitation, they might produce work which was creditable, which might pass muster71 even in Europe, as, in fact, some of the things he saw before him might, they would probably never climb out beyond the mediocre72, would never attain43 original achievement. There were some very good portraits, excellent flower pieces, though, of course, this was but natural, considering that this subject was a preëminent favorite with the Japanese schools. Even some of the landscapes were undeniably fine, though, he noted, this was the case especially where some Oriental subject had been chosen, great, carved junks with blood-red sails glaring in the sunlight against a faint blue sky; mountain scenes following largely the composition of kakemono subjects, the delicacy73 of the latter being replaced by the more massive boldness made possible by the medium of canvas and oils.
He felt that he was ungenerous; still it irritated him that they should be making such headway in their apostacy. Only the nudes75 gave him an incongruous sense of satisfaction. They were atrocious and the exhibit was cluttered77 with them. In the old art of Japan, kakemono, color-print and screen, they were virtually unknown, but during the last few years the craze for them had swept over the moderns like an obsession78; the very fact that they were utterly79 new to Japan, the sense that they were unconventional, modern, outré, was undoubtedly80 the reason. So there they were, scores of them, clumsy masses of female flesh, blatantly81 brazen82, in all sorts of absurd and[Pg 160] contorted attitudes—and all these women were not nude74, they were naked. The conception of the spirit, the idea of their French masters, the verve, the élan, they had missed it all. The paintings were bad, and the sculpture, with which the rooms were filled, was worse. Evidently these young enthusiasts83 had rushed forth84 fanatically intent to place on canvas something naked; almost anything would do. The clumsy, paunchy forms, shapeless limbs, invariably thick ankles, all seemed to indicate that they had found their models where best they might, among country wenches and servant maids, bringing forth on canvas or from clay mere85 lumps of flesh, utterly soulless reproductions of female kind.
Did they really wish to convey the idea that Japanese women looked like that? Did they wish, barbarously, to slaughter86 the conception of the musume, delicate, graceful, beautiful, and to substitute therefor as the ideal mere worship of flesh of the flesh? Damn them, it seemed such stupid, wanton brutality87, brutishness even; a grossly sensuous88 libel on the womanhood of Japan. He glanced at Adachi-san, slender, dainty, flower-like. How was such a grotesque misconception possible?
He felt that she should have resented all this; but she was interested, far more absorbed in the moderns than she had been in the exhibits after the ancient mode. This was the section which young Japan enjoyed. Here the art students thronged, proud of their achievements or those of their fellows, young men with velvet89 jackets and baggy90 trousers, flowing ties and broad-brimmed, flapping hats. Their coarse, black hair flowed loosely down to their shoulders; those who could manage it had painstakingly cultivated little Van Dyke91 beards. Nearly all wore enormous, horn-rimmed spectacles. Here they were in their[Pg 161] element, prideful, self-certain in their assurance that they had advanced far beyond the hoi polloi, that they were the leaders. Conspicuously92 they would form groups, point out, discuss, criticize or go into raptures93.
Evidently Adachi-san was quite well known here. Young fellows would bow to her, some would even address a few short remarks. She was plainly enjoying it all; she tried to communicate some of her enthusiasm to Kent, called his attention to work which she thought was well done. She even used some of the technical patter of the students. He wished he had been better informed in art, that he might have placed in convincing form the criticism which craved94 for expression. He was relieved when they left the exposition and began their return through Uyeno Park.
They found a seat at the edge of an abrupt95 slope where they had a wide view of the city. "You didn't care for it, Kent-san?" Her voice conveyed her disappointment.
"But I did. I like the truly Japanese things immensely; but that's just it, even though much of the modern stuff is very good—I won't deny it—it seems to me such a pity that Japan should sacrifice the wondrous96 values of her own art merely to trade them for imitations of that of the West which the other countries can do better than she can; just as Japan in all other things is throwing away her own which suit her,—her dress, her architecture, her manners, only to replace them with shoddy foreign clothes that don't suit Japanese figures; ramshackle hodgepodge buildings after no style at all; and all the rest. And then these student fellows. Can't you see that with most of them it is all pose?"
A couple of the artists passed, bowed courteously97. He raised his hat to them.
"But it isn't pose, at least with only a few of them.[Pg 162] If you only knew how some of them slave and toil98 for the ideals they have, you wouldn't talk like that. They may seem absurd to you, or funny even, but I tell you, you would have a different idea of them, if you only knew them."
"Yes, I daresay they must be interesting to know." Throughout the afternoon he had sensed an indefinite resentment99 that she seemed to be so familiar with them. How did she come to know them so well? It was not jealousy100, still, honestly, it might be something fairly close to that. But the whole thing irritated him. He wanted to get away from it, to some other subject. "It is getting quite late, Adachi-san. Let us have dinner somewhere."
But she would not get away from it. "Thank you very much, Kent-san. You're too good to me. But if you really think they may be interesting, why shouldn't we go to one of the places where they eat, right near here. Kent-san, you are the only foreigner whom I know, and you seem to be such, such a reactionary101, and I want you to see our side of it. You foreigners ought to be the ones to help us, you know. I want you to, please." The slim, white hand was on his sleeve. She was looking at him earnestly, appealingly almost.
Hang it, the power which these eyes had over him; they could make him do anything, he felt. Of course, in a way, that was what he wanted, to allow himself complete abandon, inertly102 drifting, dreaming under the spell of that glorious, pervasive103 beauty, to let himself go under the hypnotism of her charm. But this was something entirely different; the injection of the element of intellect spoiled the whole thing. It was her beauty, not her brain he wished to enjoy, as one might be dreamily soothed104 by the spell of a picture, unheeding the mechanics to which it owed being. That[Pg 163] was her function, beauty. Why should she disrupt the harmony by bringing in thought, this crass105, clamorous106 new thought that seemed like a plague of fever obsessing107 the new generation? "Our" side of it, she said. He wanted her to be Japan of droning temple bell, slender pagoda108, rich, flaunting109 silks, not the Japan of steam, electricity and new thought. But her earnestness softened him. He would make the best of it. To-day, they had fallen into the wrong setting. He would contrive, next time, one more congruous with the idea which he had in mind.
"All right, Adachi-san, you shall be the guide."
She was radiant. "Kent-san, you are so good. I want you to be pleased, and I feel that you are not pleased, but I want you to know us too, me and my friends, and to like us, if you can."
They passed down the broad stone steps into a vast space of clanging street cars and jostling crowds. Then down a side street, a few blocks. She pointed111 to a sign, a gaudy112 female, presumably symbolically113 representing art or some such abstraction, holding in one hand a palm leaf and in the other a paintbrush. Over it was the inscription114, in kata-kana characters, "kafue montomarutoru"; of course, that meant "café Montmartre."
He knew scores of the queer new cafés of Tokyo, but this one was of a type new to him. There were the same rickety tables and chairs, but crowding the walls, leaving scarcely an inch of clear space, were vast oil paintings, tremendous stretches of canvas, all depicting115 nudes, in every possible position and surrounding, in bath houses and by mountain pools, posing in front of mirrors or just standing116 upright vacantly, without apparent intention at all; huge figures, clumsy, ill-formed, a mass of light-brown or pink, indelicate flesh pervading117 and dominating the entire room.
The tables were crowded, the long-haired, bespectacled ones had evidently here a habitat, a homely118 Parnassus, where they might worship that which they conceived to be art, amidst an atmosphere of beer, bad cooking and the eternal nudes. They found seats at a table with some of them, who smiled and made room with great politeness.
It was an odd mess. Still, since he was definitely in for it, he might as well do his best to draw from the incident whatever he might. But he could not get over the incongruity119 of it, Adachi-san, dainty, modest, with only an inch or two of clear ivory-tint below the throat showing under the embroidered120 eri neckband, surrounded by this mob-like throng37 of utter nakedness.
"And do you really like all that?" He swept his hand disparagingly121 towards the walls.
"Ssst," she placed her hand warningly on her lips. "Please don't talk so loud, Kent-san. He made them, the proprietor122 over there. He runs the restaurant for a living, but he paints, too, these things."
Were they all going crazy; even second-class restaurateurs snatching moments between steaks and chops to worship fanatically at the new shrines123? He was about to speak, to express to her his wonder at these ever more astounding124 revelations, when he became aware that some one had come up to them, a Japanese of about thirty, less conspicuously bohemian than the others, still apparently125 one of the artist tribe. He bowed with quiet dignity to Kent. "I beg your pardon, but I couldn't help overhearing, and I should like very much to know what you think." He turned to the girl. "Please, Adachi-san, won't you introduce me to your friend."
She was plainly pleased as she made the introductions. Kent was a friend, she blushed a little. The newcomer was Sugawa, "a great artist," she added, "one of our best."
Sugawa smiled to Kent. "Women exaggerate so," he remarked in perfect English. Then he fell back to Japanese, evidently for the benefit of the girl. "I saw you at the exhibition this afternoon, and now again here, and I am sure that you don't like what we do. You are an American, are you not? I thought so. And you know we Japanese like Americans for their frankness, the American frankness. I wish you would tell me just what you think about it, and, if you care, I'll tell you just what we think, what we are trying to do."
"The American frankness." That was the usual prelude126, the favorite gambit for opening a conversation in which Japan drew out skillfully the thoughts and views of America, but only so seldom gave like return, remaining unrevealed, unknown, behind that curiously127 baffling wall of national reticence128. His courtesy had been perfect, disarming129; still what business had he to come breaking in upon them like that! "American frankness." He probably wouldn't like it when he received it, but since that was what he asked for, he should have it, in full measure.
"In the first place, I must tell you that I am no artist and have but small knowledge of such matters, but I can tell you how I feel, how probably most of us foreigners feel when we see you lightly abandoning the immeasurably fine heritage from your forefathers130 to make mediocre offerings to foreign idols131." He swept on, expressed his feelings just as he would have spoken to Kittrick or Karsten; it became almost a tirade132. He began referring to pictures he had seen that afternoon, things he particularly remembered; but as he went on picking into bits, relentlessly133, this and that painting, the clumsy clay images, the other's face[Pg 166] showed no resentment, expressed instead absorbed, intelligent attention. Kent felt that he had gone a little too far and wished to tone it down a little.
"Even if you, some of you, at least, have done surprisingly well, especially considering the shortness of time, what particular good will it do? Even if in time you should bring forth a Gauguin or a Matisse, the others are doing all that; you will have but added to the cumulative134 results; whereas in your own field you are unique, undisputed masters of an art that is valuable and fine, that will become lost if you fellows don't follow it up. I hope that I have not offended you, but it seems such a pity."
The other smiled. "No, of course I'm not offended. I asked for frankness and got what I asked for. And, you know, it is not new to me, this feeling of you foreigners that we should continue along the old line. That's what my teachers were telling me, in America and in Paris. That's what you Westerners always want, in art, in architecture, in dress, customs, life, to have us remain the quaint, exotic, strange country. You are like the people who think it a pity that a pretty kitten must grow up to be a cat, and who would like to have a child remain always a child. On one hand you praise the adaptability135 with which we have acquired your civilization, and on the other you hate to see the old, quaint Japan go—to see it change so as to become but one more of the many countries of the earth which are so much alike. You feel that the world is becoming too much the same all over, that London, and New York, and Paris, and now Tokyo will be all the same, will afford no new, strange sights and sensations; that Japan is being lost as a charming playground for you. But what about us? In the first place, we wanted to remain as we were, but the foreigner forced us to become one with him. No,"[Pg 167] he smiled, "I don't resent it. I am glad it happened, but the fact remains136. You praise us for adopting your civilization, and still that doesn't mean only building steamships137, and railroads and all that. That's the least part of it. That's superficial. What really counts is our emancipation138 from feudalism, from the rule of the few masters, attaining139 expression of the individuality, and that's the real Western civilization which Japan, the Japanese people, has just begun to grasp. Then why shouldn't we follow our own wishes, each his own, each man, for instance, painting as he pleases, old style, modern style, after Hokusai or after Gauguin. You say that we are not producing the art of our forefathers, but you don't see Europe producing any Titians or Tintorettos. Of course, so far we are only imitating, we are learning, copying, but why shouldn't we some day do as well as you do, maybe even better? Now we have joined in the march of progress of common civilization. We can't go backwards140, we can't remain stationary141. We must go on. Art is only one phase of the whole thing, but——"
But he was interrupted by a jangling of bells, clamor of voices.
An extra. They were rushing to the windows, the door. "Hey, come here, in here."
A little old man ran in, breathless, amid a jingle143 from a bunch of small bells clustered from his belt. Under his arm he held a bundle of small printed sheets, the gogai, extras, great news of some kind. They all crowded around him, tore the papers from him as he gathered in their coppers144.
Tokyo had been in a fever of excitement for days. The discovery had been made that a score of carloads of the arms left in the care of the Japanese army when[Pg 168] the Czecho-Slovak troops retired146 from Siberia, had disappeared. At the same time Chang Tse-lin, the Manchurian war-lord, had received, from some mysterious source, a large amount of war supplies. The newspapers almost unanimously accused the militarists, the General Staff, of having engineered the transfer, in spite of Japan's agreement with the other Powers that none of them should supply the warring factions147 in China with arms. Dual45 diplomacy148, the General Staff calmly overriding149, for its own sinister150 purposes, the international pledges made by the Foreign Office. The accusation151 which the Japanese press so resented when made by foreigners was shouted by all the papers. And the people took it up. Now had finally come the time when the issue had been fairly made, when the yoke152 of the militarists must be overthrown153 by the rest of the Cabinet. Breathlessly the nation watched for the struggle.—But the General Staff haughtily154 denied the charge. They knew nothing of it all. A major in the army "confessed" that he was responsible; he had sold the arms to a Russian faction76 with which he sympathized. It was all his own, personal doings. He took all the responsibility. His wife committed suicide; she would not face the disgrace. The nation cried out. She was one more innocent victim of the juggernaut of the General Staff. Her husband was another, a scapegoat155, a martyr156. Of course, no one believed his story, a palpable invention to save the skins of his superiors. Now, what would the Premier157, what would the Foreign Office do?
The gogai brought the answer. The Premier issued a statement, setting forth in tedious detail the opera bouffe proceedings158 of the court-martial. He confirmed the whole thing.
"The cowards!"
They did not stamp their feet, or bang fists on[Pg 169] tables; repression159 was too ingrained. But as they read through the sheets, calling the attention of one another to this or that paragraph, disappointed, disgusted, sickened, hissing160 sharp staccato syllables161 between clenched162 teeth, it was as if the atmosphere had become charged electrically with waves of resentment, repressed hate, palpable almost as heat waves, sinister, ominous163. The militarists had won again, as usual; but what of it? They had been brought a step nearer the eventual164, inevitable165 debacle. It might seem on the face of it Oriental patience, passivity, but one could feel the tenseness of cumulative, restrained sense of outrage166, injury. It was the constantly mounting head of steam in the boiler167 again.
But Kent had no time to study effects. He looked at his watch; only a little after nine. He would have time to cable. "Here, quick, call a taxi. Bring the bill, hayaku. Adachi-san, come along, please. I've got to send this thing right away."
A small closed car arrived. They climbed in. Immediately Kent set himself to composing a draft for his message. Sitting thus together, her warm, lithe168 body close to his, he sensed unconsciously the pleasure of her presence, but his mind was intent on his work, confining in the laconic169 form of a cable message the gist170 of the event. He read it over. Hang it, he should have liked to have seen the official communique which the Foreign Office must have sent out, but there was no time. He must take his chance on the gogai.
"Kent-san," she was leaning closer to him. "And now you are going to send that by the cable over to America. When will the papers there print it?"
"To-morrow the news will be all over the United States, all over the world."
"It is wonderful. How interesting your work must be. What have you written?"
He read it to her, pleased, with a feeling that her interest was drawing them together, that in some way, as yet undefinable, they were being brought into that intimacy which he craved.
She listened intently, a tiny furrow171 between the black crescent brows, thinking. "Kent-san," she said suddenly, as if she had arrived at a decision after careful deliberation. "You can add that the Premier does not believe the explanation of the General Staff; that he has told them so. It isn't fear of the fall of the Cabinet only that keeps him from making deeper investigation172. The secret of it all is a question of the old clans173, the Satsuma and the Choshu. The Premier is Satsuma, General Matsu is Choshu. The General threatened that if he were not backed up he would make it a clan110 fight, Choshu against Satsuma, and he would, too. They stop at nothing, these militarists. And Viscount Kikuchi had to straighten it out, to show them that if the governing classes fought among themselves at this time, it would give the people, the masses, he calls them, a chance. These old rulers know they must stick together, the old, the iron-hard men, the feudalists, against the people, against young Japan. Oh, it's so bitter, Kent-san, not only class against class, but generation against generation, even among the aristocracy; father against son, even. Some time you should talk to young Kikuchi, if he'll agree to talk to you about it. That, Kent-san, that's the real story."
In an indefinite way he had suspected that something like that was the case. That enmity existed among the various departments of the Government was an open secret, but this version, the clan fight, gave a picturesque174, human-interest angle to the story that he rather liked.
"Yes, that's interesting; but you know I can't send[Pg 171] stuff like that unless I'm sure it's correct. How do you know? I must know that the source is reliable."
The car stopped; they had reached the post-office. He jumped out; then he leaned forward into the car. "Adachi-san, how can I know that it is true?"
She stooped towards him. He was looking straight into these lustrous175 eyes, brilliant, close. "I am telling you, Kent-san."
There was no time for debate; the cable office would close in a few minutes. As he copied his message on to the printed blank, his thoughts were racing, occupied with the girl's story. Should he take a chance? He hesitated for a moment. "Persons in position to know"—his pencil framed the words half mechanically. He felt an odd conviction that she was right. The clerk reached over for the message; he was in a hurry to get his work done and get away. Well, let it go.
He found her standing in the street beside the car. "Step in, Adachi-san, I'll take you home."
"No, there is no need for the car now. I shall walk."
Again that peculiar176 prejudice against what she ingenuously177 deemed the luxuries of the privileged classes. What a potpourri178 of quaint ideas stirred in that brain behind those delicately curved brows, those wonderful eyes, and yet she appeared extraneously179 so like all those Japanese girls whom one saw casually180, everywhere, thinking idly that they harbored only thoughts of flower arrangement, tea ceremonial, or the ordinary dreams and aspirations182 of girlhood. She had given him but casual glimpses at her mind, evanescent, baffling flickers183, stimulating184 curiosity, tempting185 him to learn, to find out, to intimacy. So far the day had given no opportunity for confidential186 talk; mischievous187 mischance seemed to have been ever[Pg 172] bent, vexatiously, on intervening. Now the walk might afford better chance.
She lived near Kanda-bashi, she said. They passed along the crowded streets, crossed the Ginza and turned down the broad street along the palace moat. Here there was no one. He took her hand, and, hand-in-hand, child-like, as do young Japanese couples, they walked on. But she was in no mood for personal talk. The moon; see how the light refracted on the green-oxidized copper145 roofs of the palace buildings, and the black reflections of the gnarled pines in the silvery water! She was thoughtful, a little serious. He walked on with her, wholly happy at the sense of her nearness, the softness of the small hand in his, languorously188 content.
At the Kanda bridge she stopped. "Here I leave you. I live over there." She indicated a dark mass of houses on the other side of the bridge. "And thank you, Kent-san, you have been so good to me."
But he held on to her hand. "But, Adachi-san, first you must tell me when I may see you again. I must see you, often, like this."
She smiled a little. "Why?"
"Of course. We shall be friends, good friends, shan't we?"
"But I am always so busy, really. I have so little time."
"Of course, you have time. Say Wednesday." She shook her head. "Well, then, Saturday afternoon; then I know you have time. I shall wait for you in Hibiya, at the fountain by the wistaria arbor181, at noon, please."
But again she shook her head. He clung to her hand, insisting. Suddenly she pulled it free, laughed. "All right then, next Saturday." She moved away a few steps, then abruptly189, impulsively190, she plucked[Pg 173] from her hair a rose, held it over to him. "For you, Kent-san. Good-night, o-yasumi nasai."
He stood holding the flower, watching her as she moved swiftly over the bridge and disappeared in a narrow lane between the dark buildings. He found a rickshaw. Despite subconscious191 realization192 that the day had, after all, been drab, commonplace, disappointing, he felt in an exalted193 mood. The trotting194 figure of the rickshaw coolie faded from his consciousness; it was as if he were alone, with his thoughts, dreams. What a wonderfully complicated little beauty she was, entirely different from any girl he had known, had ever imagined; mysterious with her passionate devotion to the new things, art, the political flux195 and ferment196, her peculiarly insistent197 abhorrence198 at the luxuries of the rich, and then, finally, that inconsistent flash of coquetry. Now he must carry on, get the explanation of all this, learn her thoughts, attain intimacy. She piqued199 him with her elusiveness200, but it added to his zest201. But what did he wish, after all? He enjoyed the sense of being surrounded, enveloped202 in her beauty; yet he was not in love with her—no, he was not—there was no desire of conquest, to embrace her, to clasp her in his arms in possession. And still he had realized distinct enjoyment203 at holding her hand. It was intensely interesting, her evident acquaintance with the manipulation of the hidden strings204 which actuated the secret workings of the government behind the scenes. Yes, that also caused attraction; yet he had been drawn to her, irresistibly205, with the direct certainty which compels steel to a magnet, even before he had heard a word from her, by the sheer compulsion of her beauty. Hang it, it was all very puzzling, this not being able to define what was really stirring within one's own mind. Still, he was no psychoanalyst. He gave it up. He would let the thing take its course, let fate work it out according to its own inscrutable arrangement.
He held the rose to his face; yes, he was certain; of all the incongruous, clashing incidents of the day, this was the one he liked best.
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1
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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2
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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3
savored
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| v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝 | |
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4
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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5
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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6
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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7
extricate
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| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
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8
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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9
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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10
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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12
sipping
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
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13
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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14
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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15
abducted
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| 劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展 | |
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16
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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17
automobiles
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| n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 ) | |
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18
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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19
lavishly
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| adv.慷慨地，大方地 | |
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20
abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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21
plutocracy
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| n.富豪统治 | |
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22
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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23
melodrama
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| n.音乐剧；情节剧 | |
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24
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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25
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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26
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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27
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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28
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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29
determinedly
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| adv.决意地；坚决地，坚定地 | |
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30
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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31
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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32
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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33
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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34
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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35
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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36
germinating
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| n.& adj.发芽（的）v.（使）发芽( germinate的现在分词 ) | |
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37
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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38
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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40
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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41
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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42
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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43
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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44
painstakingly
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| adv. 费力地 苦心地 | |
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45
dual
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| adj.双的；二重的，二元的 | |
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46
mirages
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景( mirage的名词复数 ) | |
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47
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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48
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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49
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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50
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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51
makers
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| n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式） | |
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52
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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53
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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54
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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55
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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56
archers
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| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
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57
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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58
scroll
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| n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡 | |
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59
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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60
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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61
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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62
postures
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| 姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场 | |
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63
limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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64
sickle
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| n.镰刀 | |
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65
garnering
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| v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的现在分词 ) | |
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66
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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67
relentlessness
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68
graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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69
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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70
grudgingly
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71
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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72
mediocre
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| adj.平常的，普通的 | |
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73
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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74
nude
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| adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品 | |
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75
nudes
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| （绘画、照片或雕塑）裸体( nude的名词复数 ) | |
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76
faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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77
cluttered
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| v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满… | |
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78
obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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79
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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80
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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81
blatantly
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| ad.公开地 | |
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82
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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83
enthusiasts
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| n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
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84
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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85
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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86
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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87
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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88
sensuous
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| adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的 | |
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89
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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90
baggy
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| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
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91
dyke
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| n.堤，水坝，排水沟 | |
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92
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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93
raptures
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| 极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 ) | |
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94
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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95
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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96
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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97
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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98
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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99
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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100
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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101
reactionary
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| n.反动者，反动主义者；adj.反动的，反动主义的，反对改革的 | |
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102
inertly
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| adv.不活泼地，无生气地 | |
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103
pervasive
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| adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的 | |
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104
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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105
crass
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| adj.愚钝的，粗糙的；彻底的 | |
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106
clamorous
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| adj.吵闹的，喧哗的 | |
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107
obsessing
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| v.时刻困扰( obsess的现在分词 )；缠住；使痴迷；使迷恋 | |
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108
pagoda
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| n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇 | |
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109
flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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110
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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111
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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112
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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113
symbolically
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| ad.象征地，象征性地 | |
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114
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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115
depicting
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| 描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述 | |
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116
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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117
pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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118
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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119
incongruity
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| n.不协调，不一致 | |
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120
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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121
disparagingly
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| adv.以贬抑的口吻，以轻视的态度 | |
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122
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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123
shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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124
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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125
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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126
prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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127
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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128
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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129
disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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130
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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131
idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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132
tirade
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| n.冗长的攻击性演说 | |
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133
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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134
cumulative
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| adj.累积的，渐增的 | |
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135
adaptability
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| n.适应性 | |
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136
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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137
steamships
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| n.汽船，大轮船( steamship的名词复数 ) | |
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138
emancipation
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| n.（从束缚、支配下）解放 | |
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139
attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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140
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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141
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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142
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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143
jingle
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| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
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144
coppers
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| 铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币 | |
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145
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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146
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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147
factions
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| 组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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148
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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149
overriding
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| a.最主要的 | |
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150
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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151
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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152
yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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153
overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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154
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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155
scapegoat
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| n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊 | |
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156
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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157
premier
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| adj.首要的；n.总理，首相 | |
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158
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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repression
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| n.镇压，抑制，抑压 | |
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160
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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161
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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162
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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163
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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164
eventual
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| adj.最后的，结局的，最终的 | |
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165
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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166
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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167
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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168
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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169
laconic
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| adj.简洁的；精练的 | |
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170
gist
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| n.要旨；梗概 | |
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171
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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172
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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173
clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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174
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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175
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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176
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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177
ingenuously
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| adv.率直地，正直地 | |
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178
potpourri
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| n.混合之事物；百花香 | |
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179
extraneously
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| 外部的； 外来的； 无关的； 不相干的 | |
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180
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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181
arbor
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| n.凉亭；树木 | |
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182
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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183
flickers
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| 电影制片业； （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的名词复数 ) | |
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184
stimulating
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| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
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185
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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186
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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187
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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188
languorously
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| adv.疲倦地，郁闷地 | |
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189
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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190
impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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191
subconscious
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| n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的) | |
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192
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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193
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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194
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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195
flux
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| n.流动；不断的改变 | |
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196
ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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197
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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198
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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199
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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200
elusiveness
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| 狡诈 | |
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201
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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202
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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203
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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204
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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205
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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